Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests

The Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests is an ecoregion on Malay Peninsula, which includes portions of Malaysia. It is in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome.[2]

Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests
Paya Indah Wetlands
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmIndomalayan
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
BordersPeninsular Malaysian rain forests
Geography
Area3,610 km2 (1,390 sq mi)
CountryMalaysia
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered
Protected142 km² (4%)[1]

Setting

The ecoregion covers an area of 3,600 square kilometers (1,400 sq mi) on both the eastern and western sides of the peninsula. The peat swamp forests have formed over hundreds of years, as sediment and organic debris deposited by rivers are trapped behind mangroves, gradually building up a layer of waterlogged, acidic, nutrient-poor soil. These forests are less diverse than the surrounding Peninsular Malaysian rain forests, but are home to many endangered animals.

Flora

Dipterocarps, including Shorea albida, are the dominant trees, while strangler figs (Ficus spp.) are common at the edges of the swamp forests. Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) and the red sealing wax palm (Cyrtostachys renda) are common understory plants. These and other plants provide a source of food for a host of animals, including birds.

Fauna

The ecoregion home to many endangered species, including tigers, Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus), clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), and previously also Sumatran rhinoceroses (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis).

Threats
Main article: Deforestation in Malaysia

Threats to the forests include: mining, rubber harvesting, and clearing of forest for oil palm and coconut plantations. Land draining has also opened a great deal of space in these forests. Many trees are cut down for development of more space, although this has increased peat forest fires.

  • "Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References
  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
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